definitely this time
by 7team7
Summary: instead of "maybe next time", itachi always makes time for his family a series of unrelated one shots centered around uncle itachi and sarada, with a side of sasusaku/uchiha clan things most recent chapter: sarada opens a lemonade stand with itachi's help. non mass au.
1. Chapter 1: A Hairy Situation

**A/N:** this is the same verse my ballet au, spotlight! Give it a read if you're interested :')

it was itachi's birthday and i love him so much and i remembered this idea so what did i do? Write it in 10 minutes? Yes ;;; enjoy

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At the tender age of three, Uchiha Sarada insisted she take ballet lessons. It was a family affair, with both her parents working as principal ballet dancers and her uncle as an esteemed choreographer and teacher.

While her parents were initially hesitant to enroll her because they knew firsthand how difficult it was to be a dancer, they just couldn't say no when their precious daughter fixed them with her big, dark eyes and asked, "Pwease?"

The thought of tiny Sarada twirling across a stage in an equally tiny tutu and tiara brought tears to Sakura's eyes.

The first few weeks of Sarada's class had gone smoothly. She was having fun and it was obvious to any observer how naturally talented she was.

Sakura was also having a field day dressing Sarada up in the cutest of practice outfits. Today, Sarada chose to pull on a red leotard with a matching skirt. The only thing left to get her ready would be to do her hair in a neat bun.

Except Sakura was out of town teaching a master class, which left Sasuke to handle this monster of a task alone.

Sarada had extremely fine and smooth hair, and the combination of the texture with the short length made it difficult for even Sakura to wrestle into a presentable style.

And Sasuke? Well, he was at a loss. He never let his own hair grow out enough to need to tie it back, so he had no idea how to do a ponytail, let alone a bun. He was growing increasingly more frustrated as he stared at the back of Sarada's head, as if her hair would magically come with instructions.

"You're sure you don't know how to do it yourself?"

"Papa, I'm three."

"Right, right."

More staring.

"You're sure _you _don't know how to do it, Papa?"

Oh, how she wounded him. "Yes, I'm sure. Maybe you can just go to class with your hair down?"

"Papa!" Sarada turned around, absolutely offended at the suggestion. He of all people should know that was unacceptable. "You can't just learn?"

"I could say the same to you," Sasuke grumbled before running a hand through his own hair. "Let's just get in the car and go to the studio. I'm sure your teacher can help you." Miss Tenten always wore her hair in not only one, but two buns, so it would probably be no problem to get her to do Sarada's hair.

Except Sasuke was a prideful person, and admitting his own shortcomings, even something as small as being unable to do his daughter's hair, was never easy.

When they got to the studio, Sasuke helped his daughter remove her outside shoes and change into her ballet slippers. Just as he was gathering himself to ask for help, a knight in shining tights walked in.

"Can I observe your class today, Miss Sarada? I have much to learn"

"Uncle Itachi!" In true ballerina fashion, Sarada leaped across the room to give her uncle a big hug.

He laughed and bent down to ruffle her hair. He frowned when he noticed she wasn't ready for class yet.

"Sasuke, do you need help?"

Sasuke gestured to Sarada's undone hair, "what does it look like?"

"Sarada do you have pins in your bag? I can do your hair for you." Itachi ran his fingers through his own ponytail as if offering an explanation for why he knew how to do a bun, but her father did not.

He carefully combed through Sarada's hair and started twisting it into something presentable. "Have you stretched a bit before class? Do you have water? Do you need me to open the bottle for you? Is your teacher nice? Are your classmates nice? Is your leotard comfortable? Are these pins poking you?" he asked very seriously, as if Sarada was the legendary dancer, and not him.

He and Sasuke eventually sent her on her way when Miss Tenten opened the door to her students, but they lingered by the window to watch. Sarada, normally hyper focused, couldn't help but glance back at her uncle in the window. Just seeing him there brought a big smile to her face and filled her with energy. Itachi was weary from dealing with his injuries and stuck up dancers, but Sarada's unabashed love of dance was a breath of fresh air.

"Sasuke, besides a bun, I can teach you how to braid too."

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**A/N: **Sarada: *looks cute*

Uchiha clan: *Uchiha clan has left the chat*

they r deceased for this reason alone


	2. Chapter 2: Pucker Up

**A/N:** I have a major weakness for bb sarada so here's this

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During the mission briefing, Sasuke sighed internally. He enjoyed the thrill and challenge of a mission, but he hated leaving his family behind. And this time, both he and his wife were tapped for the mission, so Sarada would need a babysitter. Sasuke knew it was an absolutely awful idea to leave his five year old daughter with Itachi because he would spoil her to no end, but it couldn't be helped. Sarada was lucky enough to be born into a loving clan and village during times of peace, so no matter who he left her with, she'd probably be able to ask for cake at breakfast and never hear "no" for an answer. Itachi was assigned babysitting duties this time in particular because Sarada kept requesting him. Her hair was just getting long enough to style more, and she wanted to practice styling it on her ever indulgent uncle.

Sasuke and Sakura's mission was short, but they had a feeling that when they returned, Sarada would have turned Konoha upside down. She inherited her parents' intelligence and stubbornness, so many would often bend to her will. She was the baby of the clan, and Sasuke knew firsthand how the Uchiha coddled the youngest clan members.

After one week, the couple returned and tried to report to the hokage, just to find him out of his office. They shrugged, deciding to not ask about his whereabouts and simply head home. Paperwork could wait, and if he really wanted to, Naruto could always find them. They had a child to go home to.

They headed straight to the Uchiha compound and, even from a distance, noticed a crowd had gathered near the main entrance. Why were so many members of the police force around? Was that Naruto in his hokage cape? Had something happened?

They quickened their pace to see what the commotion was about. They heard a young, high pitched voice ordering everyone around, "single file line please! Cash only! We have one thing and one thing only!" As the crowd shifted and shuffled around to form a neater line, the main attraction was revealed: Sarada's Lemonade Stand.

Sakura sighed. Of course it would be their daughter scamming the clan for lemonade. That price for a single cup should be illegal.

Some of the other clan members dressed in their officer uniforms voiced a similar concern, "is this even legal? Sure, Sarada-chan is adorable, but does she have a permit?"

Naruto's voice boomed over everyone else's when he reached the front of the line, "Sarada, this is the finest lemonade in all of Konoha! Delicious!" Sasuke stuck his head out of line to see Naruto sipping on a small paper cup of lemonade. Sarada smiled at him before holding her palm out to him, face up, "thank you, Uncle Naruto! Now please pay." Naruto blanched. His wallet was in his office! A clan member mumbled, "if Lord Hokage likes it, it must be acceptable."

Sasuke had had enough of this. What did she even need money for? Did they raise her to have no morals? How could she outright scam her own clan members? He marched closer to the table, to see his brother seated next to his daughter. He was adding an alarming amount of sugar to the newest pitcher of lemonade. Itachi spoke after seeing Naruto's panicked expression, "Sarada, I think we can make an exception for our honorable hokage, right?"

Sarada sighed, "if we make one exception, are we going to need to start a friends and family discount? How can you be a cop if you just let people break the law?" She shook her head and looked up at who she thought was her next customer, just to find her father looming over her, with her mother not far behind. She leapt out of her seat to greet them with as big a hug she could manage, "you're home! But you cut the line. Do you want a sip?" Sarada kept one arm wrapped around her father's waist and signaled to her uncle to pour out two cups.

Sasuke patted his daughter's head in greeting and tasted the lemonade, forcing himself to swallow the entire cup despite the horrible taste. Yeah, this had to be a crime.

He pinched his nose bridge, "Sarada, why did you open a lemonade stand? Itachi, how could you let her do this?" Sarada detached herself from her father, choosing to grab hold of her mother's hand instead, before explaining that it was actually her uncle's idea. He thought it would be beneficial for her to learn some financial literacy. Haggling was next—he had seen Sasuke get scammed because he was too impatient to argue for a good deal at the market. "It's a life skill," Itachi said calmly after noticing Sasuke's clenched jaw and furrowed brow.

But Sasuke felt his irritation start to melt away when his daughter tugged on his shirt and smiled up at her parents with a bright yellow lemon wedge covering her teeth. She should be under arrest for making his heart stop, for making him miss her so much when he was away, for being so _cute. _The doting mother in Sakura squealed internally at how adorable Sarada looked, but her doctor side wasn't so easily swayed, "that's bad for your teeth, sweetheart. Have you been eating your fruits and vegetables since we left? And you can't have your lemonade stand anymore."

"Why?"

"Because it's not fair to charge so much. And don't you want to play now that we're home?"

Sarada's eyes sparkled at the thought of her parents' giving her their undivided attention, just for her expression to turn mischievous. She took a look at her uncle still patiently sitting behind the lemonade stand, "maybe later. First, we have to bake lemon bars with all these extra lemons." Itachi nodded in agreement. Sasuke sighed. He wasn't sure whether he should never leave Sarada with Itachi, or leave her with him every time. She was clearly having a good time, even if wasn't necessarily parent approved. Sasuke imagined this is how his parents felt every time he insisted he go hunt or train with his far more advanced older brother instead of staying home to play with toys.

She ran back around to her position next to her uncle, and started packing everything up, clearly eager to start baking. She told the lingering crowd that Sarada's Lemonade Stand was closed—for now. A fistful of cash in one hand and a lemon in the other, Sarada giggled as she told her parents she'd be charging them extra for the desserts. Itachi smiled. He was glad his niece knew her worth.

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**A/N:** support your local vendors

i've been feeling a little down lately (for a multitude of reasons, but nothing too concerning) so a bit of family fluff is good for the 3


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